Original Word: γῆ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: gé
Pronunciation: gay
Phonetic Spelling: (ghay)
KJV: country, earth(-ly), ground, land, world
NASB: earth, land, ground, soil, country, earthly
Word Origin: [contracted from a primary word]

1. soil
2. (by extension) a region, or the solid part or the whole of the earthly globe (including the occupants in each application)

country, ground, land, world.

Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application) -- country, earth(-ly), ground, land, world.

1093 gḗ – properly, the physical earth; (figuratively) the "arena" we live in which operates in space and time which God uses to prepare us for eternity.

The physical earth (1093 /gḗ) is the temporary, probationary place to live out moral preferences "through the body," i.e. as free moral agents (cf. 2 Cor 5:1-10). In this way, God makes an eternal record of everything we do on the earth. Through faith, each scene of life becomes equally, eternally significant (cf. Mt 13:31,32,17:20; cf. also Lk 16:10; Lk 17:6; 2 Pet 1:1).

[The OT Hebrew term, 776 /asitía ("earth"), also refers to the physical earth as "God's arena" – "the physical theater" in which our eternal destiny freely plays out.]

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
the earth, land
NASB Translation
country (2), earth (165), earthly (1), ground (20), land (46), soil (16).

STRONGS NT 1093: γῆ

γῆ, genitive γῆς, ἡ (contracted from γεα, poetic γαῖα), the Sept. very often for אֶרֶץ and אֲדָמָה, earth;

1. arable land: Matthew 13:5, 8, 23; Mark 4:8, 20, 26, 28, 31; Luke 13:7; Luke 14:35 (34); John 12:24; Hebrews 6:7; James 5:7; Revelation 9:4; of the earthy material out of which a thing is formed, with the implied idea of frailty and weakness: ἐκ γῆς χοϊκός, 1 Corinthians 15:47.

2. the ground, the earth as a standing-place (German Boden): Matthew 10:29; Matthew 15:35; Matthew 23:35; Matthew 27:51; Mark 8:6; Mark 9:20; Mark 14:35; Luke 22:44 (L brackets WH reject the passage); ; John 8:6, 8 (i. e. Rec.); Acts 9:4, 8.

3. the main land, opposed to sea or water: Mark 4:1; Mark 6:47; Luke 5:3; Luke 8:27; John 6:21; John 21:8f, 11; Revelation 12:12.

4. the earth as a whole, the world (Latinterrarumorbis);

a. the earth as opposed to the heavens: Matthew 5:18, 35; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 2:14; John 12:32; Acts 2:19; Acts 4:24; 2 Peter 3:5, 7, 10, 13; Revelation 21:1; τά ἐπί τῆς γῆς the things and beings that are on the earth, Ephesians 1:10; Colossians 1:16 (T WH omit; L Tr brackets τά); involving a suggestion of mutability, frailty, infirmity, alike in thought and in action, Matthew 6:19; τά ἐπί τῆς γῆς (equivalent to τά ἐπίγεια, Philippians 3:19) terrestrial goods, pleasures, honors, Colossians 3:2 (opposed to τά ἄνω); τά μέλη ὑμῶν τά ἐπί τῆς γῆς the members of your earthly body, as it were the abode and instruments of corrupt desires, Colossians 3:5; ὁ ὤν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ... λαλεῖ (in contrast with Christ as having come from heaven) he who is of earthly (human) origin, has an earthly nature, and speaks as his earthly origin and nature prompt, John 3:31.

b. the inhabited earth, the abode of men and animals: Luke 21:35; Acts 1:8; Acts 10:12; Acts 11:6; Acts 17:26; Hebrews 11:13; Revelation 3:10; αἴρειν ζωήν τίνος or τινα ἀπό τῆς γῆς, Acts 8:33; Acts 22:22; κληρονομεῖν τήν γῆν (see κληρονομέω, 2), Matthew 5:5 (4); πῦρ βάλλειν ἐπί (Rec. εἰς) τήν γῆν, i. e. among men, Luke 12:49, cf. Luke 12:51 and Matthew 10:34; ἐπί τῆς γῆς among men, Luke 18:8; John 17:4.

5. a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region; simply, when it is plain from the context what land is meant, as that of the Jews: Luke 4:25; Luke 21:23; Romans 9:28; James 5:17; with a gentile noun added (then, as a rule, anarthrous, Winer's Grammar, 121 (114f)): γῆ Ἰσραήλ, Matthew 2:20f; Ιουδα, Matthew 2:6; Γεννησαρέτ, Matthew 14:34; Mark 6:53; Σοδομων καί Γομόρρων, Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:24; Χαλδαίων, Acts 7:4; Αἴγυπτος (see Αἴγυπτος); ἡ Ἰουδαία γῆ, John 3:22; with the addition of an adjective: ἀλλότρια, Acts 7:6; ἐκείνῃ, Matthew 9:26, 31; with the genitive of person one's country, native land, Acts 7:3.

Overview of New Testament Usage

The term occurs throughout the New Testament to speak of the physical planet, specific territory, fertile soil, and the sphere of human life in distinction from heaven. Matthew and Revelation use it most heavily, anchoring Jesus’ earthly ministry and the consummation of redemptive history. While contexts differ, every appearance reinforces Scripture’s unified witness that the earth is made by God, governed by Christ, destined for judgment, and finally renewed.

The Earth as God’s Creation and Dominion

Early Christian prayer begins here: “Sovereign Lord, You made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them” (Acts 4:24). Hebrews 1:10 cites Psalm 102 to identify the Son with the Creator: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth.” Creation language grounds apostolic doctrine, worship, and ethics. Because the earth is His handiwork, He may intervene miraculously (Matthew 27:51), command nature (Mark 4:39), and expect obedience from its inhabitants.

Land of Promise and Covenant

Stephen recalls God’s word to Abraham, “Leave your country and kindred and go to the land I will show you” (Acts 7:3). Hebrews 11:9 notes that the patriarch “lived in the land of promise as a stranger.” The promise of land foreshadows a greater inheritance: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The covenant theme threads into Christian hope, moving from the territorial boundaries of Canaan to the worldwide reign of Messiah (Romans 4:13).

Christ’s Authority on Earth

Jesus declares, “The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matthew 9:6). After His resurrection He affirms, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). These statements bracket the Gospel narrative, showing that the earth is the arena where divine authority is exercised, salvation accomplished, and discipleship commissioned.

Soil and Agricultural Parables

When Jesus speaks of hearts, He often speaks of ground. In the parable of the sower the seed “fell on good soil, and it produced a crop” (Mark 4:8). Luke 8:15 interprets: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart.” The earth that passively receives seed becomes an image of active faith that bears fruit. Hebrews 6:7 extends the metaphor to perseverance: “For land that drinks in the rain… produces a crop useful to those for whom it is tended.”

Earthly and Heavenly Realities

John the Baptist testifies, “The One who comes from heaven is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth” (John 3:31). Believers are urged, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). Yet the goal is not escape but unification: “to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10). The incarnation bridges the realms; the ascension guarantees their future harmony.

Global Mission to the Ends of the Earth

Empowered by the Spirit, the church is sent “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Paul proclaims that the gospel’s sound “has gone out to all the earth” (Romans 10:18). Revelation envisions every tribe and nation worshiping the Lamb (Revelation 5:9-10). The term therefore marks the expanding horizon of redemptive mission, fulfilling the promise given to Abraham that all families of the earth will be blessed.

Earth in Eschatological Judgment and Renewal

Peter warns that “the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire” (2 Peter 3:7), and John sees that “every island fled, and no mountain could be found” (Revelation 16:20). Yet judgment is not the last word: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). God’s purpose is restoration, not annihilation, confirming the prophetic hope of Isaiah 65.

Steadfastness, Patience, and Stewardship

James exhorts, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth” (James 5:7). Patience is cultivated like a crop; saints, “of whom the world was not worthy,” wander “in deserts and mountains and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:38), trusting God’s promise of a better country.

Earth as the Stage of Spiritual Warfare

Revelation describes Satan cast to earth, pursuing the woman and her seed (Revelation 12:9-13). The “inhabitants of the earth” repeatedly ally with the beast (Revelation 13:12). Conflict is intense yet constrained; even the earth assists the church (Revelation 12:16). Victory belongs to the Lamb, whose return dissolves heaven and earth before the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11).

Universal Worship from Earth

The same book closes the narrative circle: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth… saying: ‘To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’” (Revelation 5:13). The earth that groaned under sin will join heaven in unending praise, fulfilling the prayer, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

γαίαις γαις γαιών γη γῇ γῆ γηγενείς γηγένεσι γηγενών γην γῆν ΓΗΣ γὴς γῆς ge gê gē gē̂ gêi gē̂i gen gên gēn gē̂n GeS gês GĒS gḕs gē̂sInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts